Remember your family in the aftermath of a critical incident

Tip: Remember your family in the aftermath of a critical incident

Navigating the emotional aftermath of a critical incident can be a difficult, sometimes-painful process for any officer. It’s common for officers involved in these types of events to experience all kinds of rollercoaster emotions and the ways in which those are successfully dealt with can vary, as has been discussed in scores of articles, tips and training classes.

Something important to remember is the fact that your family is likely also experiencing some level of emotional duress as a result of your experience. It’s crucial that you take care of yourself emotionally after a traumatic event. Remember that it’s just as crucial to ensure that your family is being cared for emotionally as well.

Prepare in advance for any such eventuality by finding out from your PD, your POA, or any one of several other entities what sort of resources may be available to family members of officers involved in critical incidents. You may choose to share your findings with your spouse, your parents, or other loved ones in advance. You may choose to “keep it in your back pocket” for that one day such information becomes imperative to them.

About the author

Doug Wyllie is Editor in Chief of PoliceOne, responsible for setting the editorial direction of the website and managing the planned editorial features by our roster of expert writers. An award-winning columnist — he is the 2014 Western Publishing Association "Maggie Award" winner in the category of Best Regularly Featured Digital Edition Column — Doug has authored more than 800 feature articles and tactical tips on a wide range of topics and trends that affect the law enforcement community. Doug is a member of International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), an Associate Member of the California Peace Officers' Association (CPOA), and a member of the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA). Even in his "spare" time, he is active in his support for the law enforcement community, contributing his time and talents toward police-related charitable events as well as participating in force-on-force training, search-and-rescue training, and other scenario-based training designed to prepare cops for the fight they face every day on the street.

Read more articles by PoliceOne Editor in Chief Doug Wyllie by clicking here.